Apparatus for picking up fallen leaves and bagging them, thus, saving the typical home owner the laborious chore of raking and bagging his leaves.
1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The machine envisioned is for advancing over the ground in a debris-collecting mode. A pick-lined drum is rotatable about an axis as the drum is advanced forwardly relative to the ground by means of an operator pushing the machine or by means of being pulled by a tractor. The debris pick-up means include a plurality of blades arranged upon the drum in a radially outwardly projecting manner and spaced from each other in the axial direction. A debris removing stripper functions to strip the debris from the blades. A removable bag is supported adjacent and rearwardly of the drum and defines a debris confining chamber.
2. DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
Known prior art devices are of the motorized type dictating, additional to the motor, the interconnecting means for rotating the usual reel type construction such as gears, belts and like contrivances.
Lawn and parking ot sweepers of the cylindrical rotary brush type are known, and their capability for collecting grass cuttings, leaves and debris is well understood.
Such sweepers heretofore known have the certain disadvantage that the cylindrical sweeping element must be rotated quite rapidly in order to throw the collected debris into the collecting medium.
Such devices usually employ a power unit incorporated into the machine or pulled by a tractor or otherwise driven.
In known prior art devices, a rotating drum is provided having upstanding or projecting bristles or tangs. The drum in each case is observed to rotate faster than the ground passing therebeneath due to the mechanical contrivance, be it wheels, belts, or gearing, which gives to the drum a higher rotating velocity in providing the associated sweeping or raking action.
The distinguishing difference between these prior art machines and the apparatus hereof is that the drum with its rigid picks is rotated at the same velocity as the ground therebeneath for the obvious reason that it is the ground which serves to give the drum its rotational movement.
The other salient difference lies in the fact that the prior art machines employ bristles or tangs which merely sweep or push the product along whereas the rigid picks of the invention stab or penetrate through the product so as to lift it upwardly.